I Promise
by Harleygwyn
Summary: Set in the aftermath of episode 5, following a 3rd scenario in which Max was able to save both Chloe AND Arcadia Bay. How has she coped with returning to normal life? How has Chloe taken the sudden return of a time-travelling best friend and saviour? ONE-SHOT, may continue depending on response! Some amount of Pricefield fluff!
1. Chapter 1

Chloe looked down at the time on her computer screen and sighed. 2:45pm; still an hour and a quarter until Max would be finished at Black _hell._ That meant there was just over an hour left to kill before she could go to pick her up. Switching off the monitor, she swivelled round in her chair, turning to face the room; deciding that there wasn't any time to start anything important, she raised herself from the chair, stretching, and made her way across to the hi-fi. She sifted through the CDs that lay strewn atop it, eventually deciding on the new punk-rock album she had bought that week; once she had slipped the CD in and pressed play, guitar riffs building up to fill the room, she walked back across the room and flopped backwards onto her bed, pushing back into the pillows against the headboard. Absent-mindedly she reached into her pocket and retrieved a cigarette from the pack that rested there; she gently nestled it between her lips and lit it, bringing her free hand back to rest upon her stomach as she lay facing the ceiling.

She began to think about Max.

This was not a rare occurrence, nor had it been ever since the younger girl had been thrown back into her life barely a month ago. This much was true; Max Caulfield invaded every single thought that strayed her mind, every single day.

Max hadn't been doing too well recently.

Understandable, considering the ordeal that she had been through. Chloe could only imagine what a strain it would be to have that kind of power, the ability to travel back through time, thrust upon you; what pressure would mount when it was only you standing in between your closest friends and death, when you had to risk life and limb going back to make the right choice, knowing full well that if you got it wrong, you may not have that chance again.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Max had retained the powers after she had taken the bullet for Chloe, else she may never have believed her. It was only when, sat beside her in the hospital, Max had told her exactly what was going to happen next, did she begin to believe what she was being told; after Max's prediction that the doctor outside would trip and spill his coffee over Joyce as she walked into the room came true, she believed her entirely.

Why would Max lie?

A routine started to set in those two weeks Max spent in the hospital; Chloe would come every morning and every evening during visiting hours, sometimes with Joyce, sometimes alone. After a week or so, when she could sit up and had begun to feel a bit better, David had brought her some school books from Blackwell that she could read at her leisure, lessening the likelihood of her falling behind. Vanessa and Ryan, Max's parents, were always there of course; rarely did Chloe get any time to spend with her friend alone, unless Max had specifically requested it.

These moments she would treasure forever.

Max had told her everything. All the times she had saved her. The time she saved Kate. The times she fainted and had nosebleeds from pushing her powers too far. She told her all about Rachel and Nathan and Jefferson. The latter two had been arrested almost simultaneously after the shooting; Nathan after pulling the trigger, and Jefferson after Max had struggled to get out the whereabouts of Rachel's body and the barn containing the evidence. In that one sense, the nightmare was over.

They sat together in the hospital, fingers intertwined, chatting away the hours. Max was haunted when she was sober, and completely adorable, in Chloe's opinion, when she was dosed up on pain meds. Never again could she seem to shake that goofball smile and those sparkly eyes from her mind.

"What would I ever do without you, Super-Max?" she had whispered.

Max was already asleep.

Chloe stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray next to her as the hi-fi dimmed into the next song. Her mind was an absolute mess. Recently things had changed. Every time she stood next to Max she could feel electricity between them; every time, she resisted the urge to turn towards her and close that gap, to lift her chin, to bring those soft, rosy lips up towards her own…

 _Stop it, Chloe,_ she scolded herself. _Don't be ridiculous. She has enough on her plate, what with saving your dumb ass all those times._

She sighed again and tried to push Max from her mind. Settling back down against her pillow, she began to shut her eyes, when her phone rudely decided to interrupt her from her rest.

 **BZZT! BZZT!**

Groaning, Chloe shifted herself from the comfortable position she had just rested herself in, turning herself onto her stomach and reaching over to retrieve her phone from beside the ashtray. Skimming through the messages, she jumped out of bed and threw on her jeans as she frantically typed a response.

 **MAX C: Chloe you there?**

 **MAX C: Chloooo?**

 **MAX C: Come get me plz**

 **MAX C: I'm done here I need u**

 **MAX C: Waiting in parking lot!**

 **CHLOE P: On way be there in 5**

Jeans on, Chloe hastily slipped on and zipped her boots up over the top, before grabbing her keys and hastily rushing out to her truck. She jumped into the seat and slammed the door behind her before backing out and rushing off at well over the speed limit.

 _If she's hurt, somebody's getting their ass kicked…_

* * *

Chloe pulled up into the parking lot, skimming her eyes across the grounds for any sign of Max; she cursed as she realised it was match day for the football team, explaining why the grounds were hustling and bustling, busy with people. Eventually she spotted Max sitting on a bench across the other side of Blackwell's entrance, head down, sifting through some photos.

"HEY MAXARONI!"

Max didn't seem to hear, so she slammed the truck door behind her and began to jog across the path towards her, calling out more fervently as she drew nearer.

"OI! BAT-MAX!"

This time Max heard her, and lifted her head to face in Chloe's direction; Chloe's heart sank as she saw the tears that streaked her cheeks, and she hurried her pace.

Max stood as Chloe came closer, walking forward slightly to meet her; Chloe's arm instinctively reached out and wrapped round her shoulders, drawing the smaller girl into her frame. She left one hand around Max's shoulder, drawing comforting circles with her thumb where it rested; the other found its way to her head, stroking her hair down in a soothing manner. Max wrapped both her arms around Chloe's skinny waist in response, and laid her head sideways into her chest, letting the sobs that she had contained for so long escape.

"Hey, hey," Chloe soothed. "What's wrong? Did someone say something…?" her eyes drew themselves to the bench, and the stack of photos Max had been looking at when she had arrived; the one that rested on top of the stack was the one of her and Max, together when they were younger. Poking out from underneath was one that Max had taken of her dancing on her bed a few weeks back, a picture she could not remember, but had admired nonetheless.

"N-no, it's not that…" Max mumbled from where she rested, buried in Chloe's vest. "They've all been… so nice…"

"What's wrong then, you silly sausage? You can tell me anything, you know that…" Chloe began rocking her gently, ignoring the strange looks she knew they were receiving from various passers-by.

"I – I know," Max cried, although the rocking seemed to be working; the sobs were beginning to subside and her breathing was returning to normal. "I just… I got scared you were gone again. I don't know why… I was just aware… aware that you weren't there with me. And I panicked… and I ran…"

Chloe's heart swelled as she took this in; she looked down at the poor, fragile young doe in front of her and resolved never to let her suffer this way again. "Hey, shh, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, I promise. You can call on me any time, you know that?"

Max nodded and withdrew her head from Chloe's chest, looking upwards to face her. "I know. I swear I do. I just… sometimes it's a bit much, you know?"

Chloe nodded, with strong affirmation. "I know. But it's different now. Things are different, and I'm never leaving you."

"And I'm never leaving you either, Chloe Price. I promise. I love you far too much." Max looked away in a mixture of surprise, shock and embarrassment at the suddenness of the statement that had spilled from her mouth.

Chloe's heart leapt.

 _Did I really just hear that…?_

Deciding to leave the repercussions of what she was about to do for later, Chloe reached forward and cupped her hand gently round Max's chin, bringing it forward to face her. Bright blue eyes stared down into puffy blue ones that widened in surprise as Chloe lifted Max's chin towards her; gently, Chloe brushed her lips against the smaller girl's, lingering ever so slightly before pulling back and appraising the flushed face that glowed back at her.

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much everyone for all your lovely reviews and responses! Off the back of that, I've decided to continue with this story and see where it goes, but I shall also be posting a longer story that starts from the very beginning and incorporates all the events prior to this story - the ones that I summed up in the first chapter. I'll post a link as soon as I've started this!**

 **If anyone has any ideas or input on how I could improve, please don't hesitate to say! I want to improve my writing both for myself and for readers and I'm going to work hard to make that possible!**

 **Thanks again - I hope you enjoy the next instalment! :-D**

* * *

Max hoisted herself up into the truck and slammed the door behind her. She could feel Chloe get in beside her and switch on the ignition; however, she didn't dare look around, sticking cautiously to staring nervously out of her side window.

She couldn't quite believe what had just happened. It was so sudden, and yet had felt just so… so _right._ She felt a blush creep steadily through her cheeks as she recalled the feel of Chloe's soft lips gently caressing her own; the scent of cigarette smoke and cheap-brand men's deodorant permeating her senses. Max bit her lip and shuddered, determined to bring herself out of her reverie. _Pull yourself together, you idiot!_

Chloe felt the movement from her side of the truck and took the opportunity to sneak a sideways glance at her companion. She noticed a light red dusting the younger girl's face; she gave a small smirk, although, unbeknownst to both girls, she was simply hiding similar insecurities of her own.

"You alright there, Super-Max? Did these lustrous lips of mine render you _completely_ speechless? I have to admit, it's a nice change…" Chloe joked, in an attempt to lighten the air.

Max's blush deepened as she indignantly swatted Chloe's arm. "Shut _up,_ you total loser. Don't go getting delusions of grandeur. That's all we need, a Chloe Price ego-boost, you won't be able to fit your head through the door!"

Chloe grinned. "Well then, Tomato-face, what else could you be in such deep, all-consuming thought about?"

"Wha..? Tomato-what?!" Max turned to look in the side view mirror and gasped at the sight of her beet-red face looking back at her. She whipped her face away and hurriedly began winding down the window.

"Ugh, it's nothing, it's just way too hot in here!"

"Must be me…" Chloe smirked.

Max sighed. "Yeah, whatever, dork. Where are we going, anyway?"

Chloe turned her head to face squarely forward, out towards the road. "Nowhere special. I just thought you needed something to perk you up, is all. It's been a hella rough day."

Max leaned back into her seat and watched the trees blur as they passed by, the cool breeze brushing lightly across her face. She was aware of the tightness in her eyes; they still stung from where she had cried, and her cheeks were still tight from the tearstains. She couldn't help but agree with Chloe. Every day had been a rough day.

* * *

Chloe pulled up directly beside the entrance of the Two Whales, and shut the engine off. Turning to look at Max, she couldn't help but admire how peaceful she looked in her sleep; her blush had faded and her fringe had flopped slightly sideways across her face, her lips slightly parted as she slept. It hadn't taken long for her to succumb to sleep, the events of the day had completely tired her out; and even though it was only a short distance to the Two Whales, Chloe had left her, knowing how little sleep she managed to get as of late.

Chloe reached across and gently shook Max's shoulder. "Hey, Maximus, we're here!"

Max groaned as she groggily opened her eyes. "Noooo… sleep…"

Chloe chuckled; she really was adorable. "Not if you want double-decker ice cream pancakes!"

Max shot up in her seat. "You WHAT?! What on earth are those?!"

"I put a special order in with Joyce," Chloe chuckled. "Now come on! You don't want them to melt, do you?"

Max opened the door and hopped out of the truck, hastily making her way into the diner. "No _way!"_

Chloe rushed out after her, and, locking the truck, ran to keep up with her friend. It took her no time at all, her long, slender legs carrying her to Max in just a few strides. The door dinged as they entered; Chloe saw Joyce at the bar, and she hurried round the counter to greet the pair as they made their way inside.

"Hi girls! How lovely to see you both!" Joyce gushed as she enveloped them in a tight hug. "Come on in, sit down! I kept your booth free."

Max grinned and readily hugged her back; Chloe looked as if she wanted to get away and sit down as quickly as possible. Even so, she took the time to thank Joyce for the food at such short notice.

Chloe took Max's hand and led her over to the booth; they sat down opposite each other, Max sidling in slowly, while Chloe flopped down and spread her arms across the backrest. It wasn't long before Joyce brought out a steaming plate of pancakes with syrup and 5 scoops of ice cream, topped with strawberries, for Max; and a plate of simple bacon and eggs for Chloe, heavy on the bacon. Crispy, just the way she liked it.

Max gasped in delight. "Strawberries! You remembered!"

Joyce chuckled in return. "They were always your favourite. It wasn't that long ago that I would make these for you every day!"

Max looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks so much, Joyce. I needed this!" and with that, she turned to face her pancakes and began rushing through them; she hadn't realised until now just how hungry she was. Come to think of it, she couldn't even remember when she had last eaten – it wasn't that high on her list of priorities at the moment.

Joyce smiled warmly, as Chloe watched Max eat. "Hey, slow down there, girl. I don't want you getting sick on my watch!"

Turning to face Joyce, Chloe spoke softly. "I hope you don't mind, but is it okay if I talk to Max alone for a moment?"

Joyce nodded. "Of course. Call me if you need anything."

Chloe caught her hand as she turned to leave. "Thanks again, for the food and stuff," she murmured, awkwardly clearing her throat. Joyce simply smiled and turned to walk back round to the other side of the counter.

Max seemed to have missed this little exchange, concentrating fervently on her pancakes; however she was beginning to slow as she started to feel full up. For the first time since they had sat down, she lifted her head up to look at Chloe.

"Thanks for this, Che. It's just what I needed."

Chloe grinned. "I know. You forget how well I know you, Maxi-Pad."

Max gestured down to Chloe's plate. "You gonna eat that?"

Chloe shrugged. "Maybe in a minute. I just wanna relax for a sec. Plus I already ate not too long ago."

"Ah, okay," Max nodded. "Just seemed unlike you to turn down food, that's all."

Chloe grimaced. "Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"Oh, but you are, though," Max laughed. "How long ago was the two-double-pepperoni-pizza incident? Oh wait… that was yesterday…" she ducked as Chloe swiped at her jokingly.

"Shut up, Miss I-just-finished-four-pancakes-in-two-minutes-flat. That's two pancakes a minute. You should be proud!"

"I didn't know you could do math…"

A swat-fight ensued, with Chloe having the upper hand in terms of reach, but Max matching her equally with strawberry-based ammo. The pair subsided into fits of giggles, surrounded by a mess of food weaponry; Chloe could feel Joyce's stare burning into the back of her head. When the giggles subsided, Max realised that at some point during the food fight Chloe had taken her hand; her smile faded as she moved her fingers to interlace them with Chloe's.

Chloe noticed the change in Max's demeanour and immediately began to worry. This worry only intensified as she felt Max's hand tighten around her own.

"Hey, what's the matter, Super-Max? I'll concede that you win, if it makes you feel better…" she joked half-heartedly.

Max sighed. "Chloe… what happened back then? At Blackwell?" she looked down at the table.

Chloe gulped. Just what she needed to talk to Max about… but a subject she didn't really want to broach. "I don't know, Max… I just sorta did it without thinking, you know? It felt right…"

Max bit her lip. "So… you didn't mean it?"

"I don't… Max, you know I love you. I may have made a mistake, or moved too quickly… we're both kind of all over the place, I guess."

"Yeah… you're right." Max nodded.

"Don't you dare rewind though."

Max looked up at Chloe, and found bright blue eyes gazing intently back into her own.

"I don't want to."


	3. Chapter 3

Max tentatively swung open the door of the tea shop, and sighed in relief as she noticed she was the first one to arrive. Great – now she could take some time to herself just to think things through. A lot had happened in the past few days, and she needed a little time to herself in order to begin processing these recent events.

Noticing a small table for two situated in the back corner of the shop, she made her way over and sat down heavily, dropping her bag to her feet in the process. She was glad of the fact that the small tea room was not busy; only the tinny noise that sizzled out from tiny speakers in the ceiling saved the atmosphere from silence. Max quickly scanned the menu and, looking at her watch, decided it wouldn't be long before her companion would arrive. She waved one of the waitresses over and placed both their orders; and tiredly sat back in her chair once the waitress had gathered the menus and left.

Max took her left arm in her right hand and pulled it across her chest, stretching out the tension that rested there, tipping her head back and squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. She froze like this for a second, before relaxing back into her seat, eyes still resting shut. The past few days had been a whirlwind. After she had finished her meal with Chloe at the Two Whales the previous day, they had both gone back to Chloe's house in her truck; their evening had consisted of movie-watching, incessant giggling and the occasional serious moment, culminating in the two girls falling asleep entwined together. Chloe had wrapped herself around Max, face nuzzled in her shoulder, and Max had pulled Chloe's arm round to rest on her torso, intertwining their fingers together as she had done earlier in the diner. Though neither of them said it out loud, the feeling of being locked together, safe in each other's arms, had been a breath of fresh air for them both.

Max sighed. This change in dynamic between Chloe and herself… she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she knew was that whatever Chloe said, whatever Chloe _did,_ it only made her want to kiss her more. The kiss at Blackwell had been brief but blissful, and she had craved that very same feeling almost every moment ever since.

She knew she couldn't push the older girl though. They'd both been through a lot – she wasn't even sure she was re…

"… uhm, _hello?_ Earth to Max Caulfield?"

Max's eyes shot open and she found herself face to face with Kate Marsh. She felt a soft red rise into her cheeks - how long had she been there?!

 _You're such a doofus, Caulfield_.

"Oh Kate! Hi! Sorry, I was nowhere near…"

"So I could see!" Kate laughed. "Thanks for ordering my tea, by the way."

Max looked down and noticed that there were two steaming cups of tea on the table in front of her; the waitress must have brought them over while she was off in her daze. _How embarrassing._

"Uh, no worries. I hope I got it right. It seemed like a Chamomile kind of a day, you know?"

Kate took a sip of her tea and beamed. "You're completely right. Perfect!"

Max smiled. An amicable silence fell between the two, both intermittently taking sips of their tea and simply enjoying the quiet. Eventually, Max broke the silence.

"So… how are you holding up? The whole Jefferson thing was kinda rough…"

Kate looked down at the table and thought for a moment. Max instantly regretted bringing the topic up; she was just about to rewind, when suddenly, Kate answered.

"I don't know… it was pretty messed up. I had no idea he was like that. But it's cool. My Mom and Dad pulled me out of Blackwell for a while… I'm taking some classes from home."

Max nodded. "Yeah, I'd noticed you weren't around. I mean, I've only been back for a week, but still… it was weird without you. And your bunny!"

"Oh yeah, Alice," Kate giggled. "She's been great. Whenever I have a bad moment she hops up to the side of her hutch and raises her paws. It's like she knows!"

"I'm sure she does," Max nodded. "She's lovely. I miss coming around to pet her."

Kate smiled. "Hey, we don't live too far from Arcadia Bay. You should come and visit sometime."

"I'd like that." Max smiled in response. "Blackwell just isn't the same anymore. Victoria's not the bully she used to be. I think she was pretty shell-shocked when they found that empty file with her name on it in the barn."

Kate's smile dropped. "Yeah, I can imagine that was rough. The police asked me if I wanted to see what was in my file… I said no. I gather it was pretty bad though. My Mom and Dad haven't been the same since…"

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Max struggled to find the right words to say. "Yeah… Jefferson and Nathan, they were as bad as each other. I kind of think Jefferson was worse though. He's such a creep… I'm so glad they're both behind bars."

Kate rested forward, leaning her chin onto her elbow. She sighed. "I guess I kind of had a lucky escape though. I mean, your friend… what's her name again?"

"Chloe. Chloe Price."

"Yeah, her… and poor Rachel Amber…"

The mention of Rachel's name brought a strange sensation into the pit of Max's stomach; she felt suddenly sick and, despite being seated, she instinctively reached out and grabbed onto the edge of the table to steady herself.

"Hey, Max? Max, are you okay…?"

 _It could have been Chloe._

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."

 _It could have been her body, not Rachel's._

"Are you sure…?"

 _YOU'LL NEVER BE RACHEL AMBER._

Max smiled queasily. "Yeah. I swear it. I just… I'm so glad Chloe's still here."

"Well, it is all down to you! I think it's crazy, you taking that bullet. Makes sense though – you two seem close."

Max began to steady her breathing. _Take it easy, Caulfield. No need to freak._

"Yeah, we're… kind of close. But not really. It's complicated."

Kate nodded. "I won't pry. As long as you're sure you're alright."

"I'm feeling okay now." Max smiled. "Just a bad memory, that's all."

As Max drained the last gulp of her tea, she heard the café door swing shut from behind her.

"Speak of the devil!" Kate exclaimed. "Hey Max, look who it is."

Max turned to face the door; a grin broke out across her face as she saw Chloe sauntering across the café floor in classic Chloe-swagger fashion. Chloe noticed and smiled right back at her. Max raised her wristwatch in front of her to check the time – to her surprise she noticed that it was already 4 o'clock.

 _I must have been more out of it than I thought…_

Chloe nodded at Kate amicably as she reached the pair, and she rested her hand on Max's shoulder.

"Hey, Super-Max. How's it going?" she asked, gently squeezing the younger girl's shoulders.

"Hey, Super- _dork._ Not too bad actually. Have you met Kate before? I forget."

Chloe lifted her eyes to look across at the other girl, and shook her head. "Can't say I have. I've heard a lot about you, though!"

Kate smiled in return. "And I you, if you are who I think you are!"

Chloe smirked. "Well of course! It's not at all unlike young Bat-Max here to be heard speaking freely of all my wonde-"

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Max ended the little exchange. " _Che!"_

Chloe stopped abruptly and grinned back at Max. _"What?"_

Kate looked on knowingly, as Max tore her eyes away from Chloe, who was looking as smug as smug could be. Max gestured to Kate and began the formal introductions.

"Chloe Price, this is Kate Marsh; Kate, Chloe."

Kate smiled and reached out to shake Chloe's hand; Chloe looked back at Max with the briefest hint of nervousness, and Max nodded encouragingly to her to do the same. Chloe took the smaller girl's hand in her own and shook it gently; Max smiled at this rare public outing of Chloe's softer side.

"S'nice to meet you." Chloe mumbled.

"Lovely to meet you too!" Kate replied, with just a tad too much enthusiasm. She looked back down to face Max. "Hey, I hope you don't mind, but I really should get going. The bus back to my town takes ages from here, and I promised I would help with dinner."

"No problem," Max smiled. "It was great to see you."

Both girls stood together and made their way round to the side of the table; they enveloped each other in a gentle hug, as Chloe awkwardly looked on, desperate to make eye contact with anything except the pair. She knew there was no need to feel so weird about it, but still she couldn't help but feel that feeling of loss anytime she saw Max with somebody else. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a cigarette, instantly feeling better as she placed it between her lips; the familiar feeling comforting her. She couldn't wait to get out of this place.

Eventually the two girls broke apart, and Kate gathered up her bag from the floor.

"Max – I'll text you. See you guys around!" and with that, Kate made her way past the others and out of the tea shop, turning right towards the bus stop.

As she left, Chloe turned back to face Max, inwardly shaking off her insecurities and plastering her usual grin back across her face. "So, Super-Max, where to now?"

Max took Chloe's hand in her own in response and smiled an unusually mischievous smile.

"Take me back to Blackwell. You'll see…"

* * *

 **A/N: Bit of a change, definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but definitely want to gradually thicken the plot a bit! Stick with it for tons of Pricefield fluff next chap! And, as always, thank you so much to all my readers/reviewers, it really means so much to me! :-D**


End file.
